The West Chicago Garden Club

“We haven’t designed this garden…we’ve made it a place we like, almost by accident”

From a Welsh gardener…garden featured in a recent issue of Gardens Illustrated.

How many of us have created our gardens by accident?  I expect a lot of hands are in the air!  And that is why we have January and February.  What an opportunity to read, talk, and plan!  While trial and error is tons of fun, considered choices may be more productive. Not to sound like a wet blanket…

So…we are looking through magazines, books, photos of the garden, catalogues, and such…savoring ideas of what to do this year.  Dear garden club members, we could use your help!  Got any brain storms for us?  The best results often come from a group effort.  Your input would be most welcome.  Have you thought that so and so plant/shrub would be perfect for the garden, or wouldn’t a path or bed be just the ticket …right there…. Well, talk with us.  Ideas provoke more ideas and we could be off and running on another fabulous year in the garden. Also, please think of us if you have plants ready for division.  Our best plants in the garden are pass-alongs from friends.  Last year, Merle Burleigh donated a generous amount of Plumbago/Leadwort from her garden.  The perky blue flowers were striking against purple-red foliage last fall.  Even in its first year, it was lovely!  Thanks Merle! Continue Reading »

Huge success! That is our view of the August 1st Secret Garden and Posey Mosey event. We estimate that 300 guests enjoyed the gardens and goodies. Thank you to all who baked and volunteered your time. There were many things to be done but your generosity and talents really made a difference! Please take a bow for ‘job well done’. Thanks again, you are a wonderful group to work with.

Well, August weather certainly delivered the ‘dog days of summer’! It was so hot some days that working outside was next to impossible. Just the kind of conditions that make you ponder the meaning of ‘dog days’. Here is what wikianswers.com has to say.

‘The dog days were the days when the Dog Star, Sirius, rose just before sunrise. Ancient Romans believed that the hot days of late summer were caused by the Dog Star, and thought that dogs went mad during this time (also that wine spoiled, people became hysterical, and seas boiled!). So a dog day afternoon would be the afternoon of one of the very hot, sticky days at the end of summer”. The specific days that were traditionally referred to as the Dog Days of Summer were from July 3 to August 11. Continue Reading »

Many compliments were paid to the lilies of the Kruse Garden this past month!  The warm pink L.A. (longiflorum-asiatic) hybrid named Algarve, located by the front door especially garnered a lot of attention. It could easily be seen from the street on drive by and was magnificently showcased by the brilliant yellow of the Mary Todd daylily in the foreground!  What a stunning display it was!  This L.A. lily is as sturdy as a young tree with abundant flowers that hold up well and have fragrance of raspberries and roses.  It is the second year for this rock star and we hope it keeps performing for many years to come. 

Cultivation of lilies in this country is recorded as early as 1654 by Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Massachusetts and the popularity of the genus never fades. From natives to cutting edge hybrids they provide breathtaking displays of color, form, and fragrance!  It’s not too early to prepare your shopping list for ‘must have’ lilies to plant this fall.  Anyone interested in a group order?  Let Billie know by the end of July if you are. Continue Reading »